Sights of Summer
by Laughing Jackdaw
Summary: Post-Fourth War. The day of the Summer Festival, Sasuke just wanted to be alone, meaning he'd have to hide from his overzealous teammates. Too bad he ran into Kakashi. On the flip side, they both aren't talkative anyways, so it wasn't that much of a problem. (Unless advice is asked, of course). (A Sasuke-returns-to-Konoha fic. Spoilers for chapter 674 and 675).


The summer festival had already started a few hours ago, but Sasuke really didn't feel like going. He had always been a loner; Naruto and Sakura should've known he would decline their offer to join them when they asked him just this morning. There was no need for him to go and he was sure he'd just spoil the mood for everyone should he have decided to go.

A few months ago, his two teammates had dragged him to a party to celebrate the end of the Fourth Shinobi War, and he'd ended up standing awkwardly in a corner while his teammates conversed with (or challenged, in Naruto's case) other people. The two times he'd attempted to talk to anyone had ended in the other person suddenly being unable to speak (out of fear), so he didn't even try to utter a word to anyone afterwards, until Naruto went to stand with him in the corner.

Sasuke still felt distinctly guilty about keeping Naruto away from his other precious comrades; the young Uchiha would make sure the blonde teen would enjoy himself today, even if that meant disappearing for a while to make sure his presence would not disturb Naruto's happiness.

Furthermore, Sasuke felt that the often-boisterous company of his two fiery teammates was a little smothering. The past few months, they'd accompanied him literally _everywhere _(aside from the toilet or the occasional shower). Every time he hung out with Naruto he would find himself arguing loudly with the other teen at some point during the day, which took a lot of energy, especially seeing the blonde could be incredibly dense and needed an explanation for about _everything_.

As much as Naruto's stupidity kept his mind of other subjects, it still was bothersome and, to be frank, quite taxing.

Sakura's well-meant, motherly but feisty care was kind of nice – not that he'd ever admit it – but at the same time, her constant concern about him was pretty stifling. (It reminded him a little too much of Itachi's doting as well. It was still all too painful).

Sasuke was truly grateful he had friends – not that he'd ever tell them – but seeing he was not a people's person, he needed some time to himself every now and then. He hadn't wandered through town for a long, long time and decided he'd do so today. He wanted to wander around without Naruto and Sakura or anyone else talking away at or hovering over him.

Judging by the sounds coming from the square near the Hokage tower, almost half the village had gathered together to celebrate the longest day of the year and the oncoming dog days. Turning his back to the alleyways that led to the square, Sasuke coolly trudged towards the outskirts of Konohagakure. He wanted - needed – to be left alone for a while.

The streets were completely empty. A soft breeze ruffled Sasuke's hair, and a small paper bag that lay crumpled on the ground stirred a little. Distant music filtered through the air. Sasuke let his feet guide him, not caring in the slightest where he'd be going.

Wasn't he good at that, drifting along without a real plan?

Before he knew it, he found himself in front of a familiar stone bench, the one he'd left an unconscious Sakura on so many years ago. It was in the shade of a large tree, near the eastern city gates. It was a remote place, away from the square and near the training grounds of Field Thirteen; it was still located inside the village, but it definitely was closer to the outskirts than any other place.

It was exactly as he remembered it on the day he left Konoha in search for power. He sat down and leaned his back against the cool, flat surface of the bench.

He inhaled deeply and closed his eyes, wondering just how he'd ended up back in Konoha. He wondered even more about having gained the forgiveness of his friends, peers, and even most citizens so soon after returning to this place. It was odd, but it all was as Itachi would've wanted it to be. Yet, Sasuke felt as if he was missing something; a part of him was still incomplete, but for the life of him, he could not imagine what was wrong even in the slightest.

Ever the practical one, Sasuke made a mental checklist.

The Shinobi-world was at peace? Yes, somewhat.  
Konoha was still standing and flourishing? Yes, definitely.  
He had friends? Yes, kind of, almost, somewhat.  
He was friendly in return? He tried.

Then what _was_ wrong? What was he missing?

Sasuke let out a deep sigh.

"You're disturbing me with your sighting, Sasuke. Care to do that somewhere else, or will you tell me what is bothering you?"

Sasuke's eye widened and he looked up at the tree. His former teacher (the one he'd left for Orochimaru) looked down at him and gave him a disturbingly cheerful little wave, "Nice seeing you here."

Sasuke frowned, "What are you doing here, Kakashi?"

The man held up a terribly bright green book – _Icha Icha Tactics, the third and last instalment of the infamous Icha Icha series_ – and said, "Reading."

"Sure." Sasuke replied coldly, slightly on edge because he hadn't noticed his teacher before. He stood up and dusted off his blue ninja pants, "Tell Naruto and Sakura they can come and fetch me themselves if they're that desperate – I still won't go to the festival with them, but they shouldn't send anyone else to get me for their sake."

Before the dark-haired teen could leave, he heard Kakashi sigh: "So arrogant. I didn't seek you out, I was here long before you did."

"I didn't sense your presence." Sasuke rebuked. He sat down again; he did not know why. He looked at his feet and leaned his arms on his knees, making sure to let some killing intent escape to let his teacher know he was actually unwelcome.  
Kakashi was unfazed, as usual, and Sasuke could hear him slowly turn a page as he said, "I'm a jounin. I'm pretty sure I know how to hide myself. After all, I've been in this business longer than you have."

"You cannot hide from me." It wasn't as if Sasuke was overconfident in his abilities, he just knew this as a fact. The Fourth Shinobi War had left him with some new, frightening powers, after all.

Above him, the Hatake chuckled lightly, "You are more powerful than I can ever dream to be, yet you still have a lot to learn. I really was here in this tree before you arrived – this is my favourite reading-spot, you see?" Sasuke didn't reply, though he was slightly frustrated Kakashi would still dare to talk down to him as if he were a kid that needed a scolding.

"I wont' tell Naruto and Sakura you were here, if that's what's bothering you. It's none of my business whether you go to the festival or not. Even if hanging out with them would be good for you. They'd be delighted to have you, too." The man turned another page. Sasuke kept quiet.

For a while, neither Sasuke nor Kakashi spoke, and they sat in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, and Sasuke got the impression that Kakashi was as much a talker as he was; sometimes there just was no need for conversation. Naruto and Sakura understood that, but they never really _understood_ it. It just wasn't in their nature. They could not fully comprehend that not talking when one had nothing to say could be more meaningful than endless small talk.

Far away, sounds of the festival could be heard. The sky was blue and birds chirped. It was a beautiful day. Sasuke relaxed his shoulders, letting some of his tension escape. Involuntary, he sighed again. Above him, a book snapped shut, and he heard the older man sigh deeply as well. Still, they did not talk, simply because there was nothing to say.

Actually, that wasn't entirely true. There still was a lot unaddressed between teacher and student, but neither male felt like bringing it up; it wasn't all forgiven, and certainly not forgotten, but it sure didn't create more walls between them. There was no need to address or speak of past mistakes. More than anyone else, they both knew that they would have to deal with their scars on their own.

In all the years Sasuke had walked this earth, he would never have guessed that the person he needed forgiveness from the most, would be himself.

Suddenly tired from it all, Sasuke rubbed his left eye in an attempt to stop the steady, throbbing pain in his head. He clenched his teeth. He'd never admit it to her, but sometimes Sakura was really handy. After all, medical jutsu never had been his expertise.

Kakashi leapt down from his branch. Rising to his full height from his crouching position, he pointed his thumb at the dusty road that lead to Field Thirteen, "I'm going. See you later." Seemingly, Kakashi didn't feel like keeping a miserable Uchiha company, but he had the sense to tell him where he was going in case Sasuke would suddenly feel more social.

In spite of his tendency to not ask pointless questions, Sasuke called after his former teacher, "Will you go to the festival today?"

Kakashi stopped walking and turned around, his two eyes closing into happy arcs as he answered, "I dislike crowds." For some reason, the dark-haired teen felt glad knowing he wasn't the only one who had trouble with too many moving, talking, _loud_ people and too little space.

Kakashi opened his eyes again, put his hands in his pockets, and resumed walking, "Have a nice day, Sasuke."

The young Uchiha sat on the bench for what could be another hour before deciding he might as well seek out former teacher. Instinctively, he knew Kakashi didn't meddle with anyone unless he'd been given orders to or had taken some kind of personal interest, and Sasuke realized he didn't actually want being _alone_ as much as he wanted being left _undisturbed _for a while.

He hadn't been undisturbed for a long, long time. Kakashi wouldn't purposely disturb him (and neither would Naruto and Sakura had they known of his triggers and boundaries, but they did not understand him as much as he would like. In a way, he was grateful for that, but it also made him slightly jealous of them. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course).

Without a sound, Sasuke formed the newly learnt but already familiar seals of the Body Flicker Technique and he teleported away to Field Thirteen. For just a few, fleeting seconds, the speed of his movements made him feel as if he was truly flying.

Sasuke found Kakashi not training but lying in the grass, with his book covering his entire face as if it had just fallen out of his hand. His flak jacket was open and the blue shirt underneath had crept up, revealing the standard chainmail-vest the man wore underneath. Even in his hometown, Kakashi would still wear the entirety of his military uniform. The dark-haired teen briefly wondered if the man had anything else to wear.

To Sasuke's surprise, Kakashi was vast asleep; his breathing was even and slow, ruffling the pages on his face every time he exhaled. However, when the last Uchiha approached him, Kakashi's old shinobi-habits kicked in and he woke immediately. Sasuke remembered this particular reaction from his genin-days back when they'd all been Team Seven: Kakashi could and would literally _sleep through an earthquake_, but when someone approached him a little too closely, he would rouse from his sleep.

The man lifted Icha Icha Tactics from his face and sat up, a little groggily, "Fancy meeting you here."

Sasuke said "Hn." and gracefully sat down on the ground next to his former teacher. He didn't look at the man and stared straight ahead. Three wooden training posts, much like the three posts on the field in which Team Seven had become official, stood in the middle of the field. Sasuke wondered if he would be able to cause one to explode with his Chidori-based jutsus. (He wouldn't try using such tricks today – a large explosion would alert Naruto and Sakura of his whereabouts for sure).

Kakashi laid down again, holding up the ridiculous book with his left hand as he used his right arm as a makeshift pillow. Former teacher and student just sat like that, wondering about destruction and reading smut respectively, and they did not mind each other's presence. Would they've been anyone else, they would've tried to strike up a conversation, but because they both didn't feel like talking, they did not.  
That didn't stop Kakashi from actually giggling like a schoolgirl at some parts of his book, and that didn't stop Sasuke from sighing every now and then either, at least, not until Kakashi dazedly murmured to him that he either could shut up or leave.

Hours passed like this, and when noon became evening, Kakashi stretched his limbs and put his book back in his pouch. He sat up and ran a hand through his hair, "I think I'll be going home."

"How do you do it, Kakashi?" Sasuke spoke, never looking at the older shinobi who sat next to him.

Kakashi zipped up his jacket, "Do what?" The book disappeared into his pouch.

"Move on. How do you move on so easily?"

The teacher laughed lightly, a little too cheerfully to be sincere, "Do you want a convenient or an honest answer, Sasuke-kun?"

The teen turned his head sharply, his dark eye boring a hole in the side of Kakashi's skull. The man paid no mind to Sasuke's impressive glare, and truthfully told him: "I don't really move on. I move along as good as I can."

He locked eyes with his former student, "You won't ever forget it, Sasuke. You've loved too deeply and you've seen too much. That is your gift and your curse – it's who you are."

He continued when Sasuke 'Hn'ed' him in reply, "Yes, it is tiring, but what can you do? This is the reality we live in and it sure as hell isn't pretty. The power you've been given – your jutsu, your eyes, it is up to you to decide how to use them. It is yours to choose what you will protect."

For the first time since forever, Sasuke's voice wavered with uncertainty, "I don't know what to decide, sensei."

If Kakashi was surprised by the use of his very-much out-of-place title, he did not show, "I think you already have decided."

Sasuke's shoulders tensed slightly.

"If you would like to hear my advice, it would be a good idea to grow more accustomed your new powers first. Test the waters a little, become used to the drain, become used to the vision. It will be difficult, but you've got to master it before you can even think of using it as your own."

Kakashi laughed again, for real this time, albeit it was a little bitterly, "Mastering the sharingan was very hard for me when I first got it; I was but a child and totally unprepared for it." He sighted softly, "Yet it was the promise that came with Obito's precious eye that was even more of a burden to me; I guess I managed to work it out, for better or for worse I cannot say. Great powers come with great responsibility, wasn't it?"

Sasuke looked at his teacher. He did not admire the man, but his ability to draw accurate conclusions based on minimal information still surprised him, even after having heard all the stories of Kakashi's perceptiveness from both Orochimaru and Obito himself.

"I can only imagine what you'll have to go through, Sasuke. Of course, as your old teacher, I'm always willing to lend you a hand whenever possible, two even, if I can miss them, but I'm not sure if I can be of much use to you."

Sasuke tried to keep his face emotionless – and he was sure he succeeded – "About the new vision…"

"Depth-perception will be a problem at first. Yet it is nothing training and an iron will won't accomplish. You'll adapt to it, if not by instinct, then by vigorous practice."

Kakashi stood up, "And about the new world you get to see with that eye of yours, try looking at mundane things first. Preferably non-living things. You can watch clouds or something – it'll allow you to wrap your mind around the new sights. Be careful with it though, for a memory ingrained in your mind forever can become a terrible burden…"

Sasuke said calmly, with a bit of resignation, "I think I can understand you now."

He did not enjoy waking up in cold sweat mainly because his nightmares consisted of memories rather than his mind's unconscious imagination.

"I think you do." Kakashi's deep voice was sincere, even though the relaxed smile that accompanied it wasn't.

It was that moment Sasuke realized he'd threatened to kill thousands of people, but that it was the tall man in front of him who had actually killed more people that Sasuke ever had or would. Sasuke was determined to make this peace last – for Itachi's sake, for Team Seven's sake, and that meant no unnecessary killing and avoiding making enemies. (Which meant: no killing). (Unless absolutely necessary).

The young Uchiha stood up as well. A warm summer-breeze ruffled his hair slightly and he zipped up his collar a little higher. He rubbed his eye in an attempt to ease his headache – he sure hoped it wouldn't become a habit.

"As for the headaches you're having…" Kakashi started, "… don't deny yourself a medic's help. It'll be good for you, both physically and mentally, to have someone supporting you." Sasuke hadn't even told him a near-constant pain bothered him; in response to the advice, Sasuke's eyebrows were lowered into a dark scowl.

Kakashi shrugged at him, "Hey, it's your head."

They followed the path towards the bench where they'd met earlier that day. Sounds of the on-going festival became louder after every step they took. Kakashi turned towards Sasuke and offered innocently, "Maybe you could go to see Naruto and Sakura this evening after all?"

Sasuke squinted his eyes slightly, "They did ask you to find me and convince me to join them, didn't they, Kakashi?" His former teacher didn't even deign him with an answer.

Suddenly, the grey-haired man exclaimed, "Ah! I knew I was forgetting something!"

Sasuke halted in his tracks, "What is it now?" He closed his eye in exasperation and waited for the jounin to resume walking or to explain. The young Uchiha was very surprised when Kakashi was suddenly stepped in a little too close for comfort. Gloved hands wrapped a warm, sturdy cloth around his head. It was fastened at the back of his head with a small knot, and Sasuke remembered the slightly heavier weight at his brow. A hitai-ate.

In surprise, he opened both eyes, the Sharinnegan coming to life and soaking up every bit of information there was about the vicinity.

Kakashi was tapping his chin with his index finger in thought, staring at him with two critical eyes, "Nah, it's not quite right like this." He reached out again, but Sasuke grabbed his hand, "What do you think you are doing?"

The Sharinnegan took in not just the flow of Kakashi's chakra, but also its soft pulse, amount, and nature. Behind the man, he could see multiple birds, a cat, ants, a stag beetle, and if he looked even further, he could already see the individual chakra of the many people at the festival. Also, even the trees and each individual blade of grass had its own particular chakra flow, nature, pulse, and _life_. It was highly distracting and dizzying and Sasuke couldn't look away.

Kakashi took this opportunity to free his hand from Sasuke's weakening grip. With a firm tug, he pulled down the forehead-protector over the Sharinnegan, effectively freeing Sasuke from its frightening hold.

"Much better. You'll find that keeping one eye closed all the time is tiring and hard to do. Keeping it covered like this will diminish the strain on both the eye itself as well as the strain on the muscles surrounding it. Also, it makes you look cool." He stepped away, admiring his handiwork. Kakashi was smiling, both eyes closed in genuine happiness. Sasuke was stupefied.

It was only when the wind blew again and Kakashi's hair fell down over his left eye, that Sasuke realized his former teacher had given him his very own hitai-ate. Sasuke pressed his mouth into a thin line and couldn't decide if he were to thank the man who was no longer his master, or if he were to punch him for his complete lack of respect.

The grey-haired teacher briefly touched his former student's shoulder in an almost fatherly gesture, "It's good to have you back. Don't forget to live, Sasuke."

"Kakashi-"

"_SASUKE! THERE YOU ARE, YOU BASTARD! WE'VE LOOKED ALL OVER THE PLACE FOR YOU!"  
_

The moment was over – whatever it had been between them – when Sasuke whirled around at Naruto's loud shout. He'd been found!

"You!" The dark-haired teen hissed at Kakashi, who feigned surprise with a professional ease as if to say _'Me?'_, "This was your plan all along! You knew they'd come here!" The jounin laughed knowingly and disappeared in a cloud of smoke and leaves, "Have fun, Sasuke-kun."

Sakura arrived at Sasuke's side, "Wasn't that Kakashi-sensei?" The Uchiha nodded, still furious at himself for walking into his teacher's obvious trap this easily. Naruto grinned at him and merely poked the metal plate that slanted over his eye, "What are you going to do next, Sasuke? Read porn in public? It would be pervy and weird, but at least you're no longer taking after Orochimaru!"

If Sasuke ever got his hands on that green book of Kakashi's, he'd burn it in revenge. But first he'd have to burn off Naruto's mouth.

There was no escaping the festival now. Naruto and Sakura safely latched onto his sides, overstepping personal boundaries and grinning way too brightly for his liking. "Let's go, before the fireworks start." Sakura said, "We'll enjoy ourselves-" She meaningfully added, "All of us."

Sasuke's eye flickered between his hopeful teammates, and maybe joining them wouldn't be as bad as he'd previously thought. They would drag him to it anyways, whether he actually wanted to or not. They'd dragged him home, too.

(And maybe, maybe Sasuke would show his former teacher the library of the empty Uchiha-estate later this week, after having burnt Kakashi's prized books, of course. The young Uchiha was grateful for the advice after all. Not that he'd ever admit it to Kakashi though. He had the feeling the man understood it - the offer, the eye, him - anyways).


End file.
